Karen's Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief Fund

My mom, Karen Coderre, was in Fort Myers Beach when Hurricane Ian swept through Florida on Wednesday. Lee County, where she was, received the full force of the storm, despite predictions that it would land farther north in Tampa. She watched as her car wholly submerged in water, and then her home filled with water up to the ceiling. She's fortunate to be alive and believes the ceiling caving in and the windows bursting out are the only reasons the water began to recede, and she survived.

She had recently moved to the area from Fort Myers, Florida and had a roommate who evacuated, but she did not own the home or have any hurricane insurance. She lost everything from her car and laptop to her clothes and toiletries. She left the house on Friday morning and began walking down the road with only her phone and two dresses. She made her way to a friend's house, where she's staying until she can figure out next steps.

A reporter interviewed my mom when she was leaving the island: Fort Myers News-Press

We also appeared on the local news for a story about the hurricane: Denver7

Funds raised here will go directly to Karen for necessities like groceries and clothing and toward more significant expenses like a car, computer and relocation. She lost everything and is relying entirely on the kindness of friends, family, and generous strangers.

We're applying for emergency disaster assistance through FEMA as well.

Photos of the damage from the inside of the house:

Photo of my mom floating in water up to the house's ceiling:

My mom is one of the thousands affected by the hurricane in Florida, which now has a death toll of 67. This story from the New York Times maps the catastrophic damage on the island where my mom was staying.

Here's a link to the Florida Disaster Fund if you want to contribute to state-wide recovery and response activities.

The photo at the top of the page shows Karen with her friend's daughter a few days before the hurricane. Please donate any amount possible, share this page, and help raise funds for my mom's recovery.